Chapter 1: The Haunting Encounter
Coiley, a recent college graduate with a degree in digital media and sociology, joined the police force and was assigned the role of an adult violence content moderator.
One day, while reviewing a flagged illegal video, Coiley’s heart raced. The video was from a seemingly ordinary website, but paid users could access hidden adult content. Coiley and her fellow moderators were tasked with reviewing these videos, until she stumbled upon one that seemed off.
“Coiley, what did you see?” a colleague inquired.
“I… I think the girl in this video, she doesn’t seem alive,” Coiley’s voice trembled.
Her colleagues initially dismissed it, assuming the woman in the video might have been drugged. But Coiley insisted on her intuition, detailing the content of the video:
The video was about seven minutes long, shot by a man using his phone in what appeared to be a private bedroom. It was clear it wasn’t a hotel room, as the man’s movements with the phone captured furniture and appliances not found in hotels, along with a One Piece poster on the wall. The man used his phone’s rear camera throughout, never revealing his face, only inadvertently capturing his belly and lower body.
Due to the large movements, the phone wasn’t held steady, and during one shift, it captured two brief glimpses of the woman’s face, totaling about a second. It was this second that caught Coiley’s attention.
Coiley explained that the woman in the video showed no reaction for the entire seven minutes, ruling out the possibility of being drunk based on her experience. If drugged, a woman usually would have her mouth open, exhibiting snoring or uneven breathing during the assault.
“I’ve reviewed many videos of drugged women, and I know their reactions all too well. I just have a feeling that the girl in that video, she wasn’t breathing,” Coiley said.
The fleeting glimpse of the woman’s face raised Coiley’s suspicions, prompting her to review the video dozens of times, each viewing deepening her unease.
“The girl seemed completely stiff, with no reaction at all. I even processed the video’s audio to reduce noise, and truly, all I heard was the man’s moans; the girl made no sound whatsoever,” Coiley recounted.
The image haunted Coiley, who said that since that day, she had nightmares every time she closed her eyes, dreaming of the man in the video, pinning down a lifeless body.
Having worked with Coiley for years, I trusted her professional abilities and experience. While evidence is indeed crucial in an investigation, a police officer’s first intuition and experience are equally important. Better safe than sorry, and also to help Rued overcome her psychological trauma as soon as possible, after careful consideration, I made a decision.
“I applied to the brigade to review that video.”
